n just a couple short weeks, students
will have the opportunity to vote
on a fee referendum. I would like to
take the opportunity to give my honest
opinion why it is crucial for students to
vote in this referendum.
Simply put, if the fee referendum
fails to pass, 25 percent of the funding
for current Registered Clubs and
Organizations (RCOs) will be cut, in
addition to funding for ASUC and
school governments. As such, the
question of whether or not to support
this fee increase becomes contingent
upon our views of RCOs and student
governments at UCSF.
RCOs represent the diversity of
student interests, and range from
educational, social, cultural, artistic,
recreational, community service and
spiritual clubs.
Students organize into RCOs to
have an experience that isn’t offered in
formal curricular environment at the
school.
Feel like there isn’t enough
childhood access to care? Join Children’s
Health Hut, an RCO committed to
improving the health of children.
Want to learn more about the values
of the Iranian culture in the UCSF
community? Join the Iranian Cultural
Organization. Want to meet with other
students to discuss pertinent health
policy issues? Join the Interprofessional
Action Council.
In essence, RCOs afford students
the flexibility to shape their own
student experience during their time
at UCSF. Because they add so much
to students’ lives here, it becomes
necessary to support RCOs financially
as well. This ASUC fee referendum
maintains that crucial financial

B
support. Those burritos you ate at that
lunchtime meeting? They came from
these ASUC funds. That health fair
where you taught children about oral
hygiene? Some of your supplies came
from ASUC funds. That wonderful
school play? ASUC funds. The Annual
UCSF Formal? Yep, you guessed it:
ASUC funds.
The ASUC in its own right is
important for the student experience,
as well. We represent student interests
with the administration. One of the
main reasons current students are
retaining their student housing beyond
two years is because of the efforts of the
ASUC.
We help fund the school
governments of Dental, Medicine
and Pharmacy, allowing school

REFERENDUM » PAGE 5

iomedical research education
has traditionally focused on
preparing trainees for careers
in academia. However, recent UCSF
events — such as the Forum on the
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Biomedical Workforce Reports and
informal brown-bag lunch discussions
— have raised awareness of the need for
graduate programs to expose students
to additional career paths.
What does this mean for those at
UCSF who are considering careers
outside academia?
While institutional reforms are still
in the discussion phase at a national
level, UCSF appears to be ahead of
the curve when it comes to making
resources available for students and
postdocs to explore and prepare for
jobs in the biomedical workforce.
The Office of Career and
Professional Development (OCPD)
offers career services in the life sciences.
In addition to receiving individual

Photo courtesy of OCPD

OCPD Director Bill Lindstaedt

counseling, students can attend
seminars to learn about different career
paths, including how to identify skills
they are missing and how to strategize
their job searches.
OCPD also runs the Graduate
Student Internships for Career
Exploration (GSICE), a unique career

n the first Sunday of their
spring break, a group of
pharmacy students threaded
their way through throngs of people in
the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown
to reach the YMCA.
Alongside high school Cantonese
translators, UCSF students presented
the topics of “Bleach and Waste
Management” and “Duct Tape and
Garbage Bags” before an audience of
Chinatown single room occupancy
(SRO) residents.
It was the third in a series of five
disaster preparedness workshops

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS » PAGE 5

Photo by Linda Chen/P1

UCSF pharmacy students Simon Diep and Kathy Cheung presented “Bleach and Waste
Management” to SRO residents at the Chinatown YMCA on March 24.

2 | April 4, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

EVENTS
MISSION BAY EVENTS

MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES:
MISSION BAY

Friday, April 5, 1:30-2 p.m., Byers Hall,
212, Mission Bay
The Muslim Community at UCSF holds
regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for
the UCSF Muslim community every week.
Come join your fellow brothers and sisters
for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are
welcome.

Monday, April 8, 5:30 p.m., Byers Hall,
215, Mission Bay
Meet your executive board members at the
monthly GSA meeting and be a part of the
discussion on topics relating to student
priorities. Visit the GSA website for details
and to RSVP. http://bit.ly/GSAwebsite

ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER’S
SPEAKER SERIES: REFLECTIONS
FROM ALL SIDES OF THE FENCE

Wednesday, April 10, 5:15-6:30 p.m.,
Genentech Auditorium, Mission Bay
UCSF graduate students can discuss &
get more information about SB259, a bill
that will give UC graduate students the
right to unionize if passed. If you receive
a paycheck through UCSF, this will likely
affect you monetarily. Followed by GSA
Game Night. Free beverages and pizza.

and designers. Come to the lunch
meeting, share your story ideas and enjoy
a free lunch. For more information, email
synapse@ucsf.edu.

RED DRESS FASHION SHOW

Thursday, April 4, 5-8 p.m., Millberry
Union, Parnassus
Project Healthy Heart and Project Men’s
Health will be presenting a Red Dress
Fashion show to raise awareness about
cardiovascular health in men and women.
This event will consist of speakers from
the American Heart Association, a fashion
show and performances by students. Cost:
Free. All are welcome.

MISSION BAY OUTDOOR MOVIE
FEATURING SKYFALL

Thursday, April 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Koret
Quad, Mission Bay
Bring a blanket and enjoy a free screening
of the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall.
There will be beverages and popcorn while
supplies last. If it does rain, the screening
will take place in Helen Diller, 160.
Sponsors: CLS Arts & Events, SSMB, CLS
Housing, GSA.

MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICES:
PARNASSUS

Friday, April 5, 12:30-1 p.m., S180,
Parnassus
The Muslim Community at UCSF holds
regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) for
the UCSF Muslim community every week.
Come join your fellow brothers and sisters
for prayer, lunch and socializing. All are
welcome.

Wednesday, April 10, noon-1 p.m., Health
Sciences West, 303, Parnassus
Should I be in this relationship? What’s

wrong with me that I don’t feel good about
myself in this relationship? Will I ever get
over this loss? Drs. Lance Raynor and Susan
Rosen from Student Health will discuss
ways to recognize that a relationship is not
working, how to break up in a respectful
and safe way and coping strategies that
can help when dealing with the loss of a
relationship. Part of SHCS’s Spring Hump
Day Student Wellness Series. Free lunch
with RSVP. breakingup.eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, April 10, 5:30-6:30 p.m.,
Millberry Union Central Desk, Parnassus
Please drop by and join UCSF Fit & Rec
for a run! Each Wednesday night the Run
Club runs various distances (3-6 miles) at a
9-11 minute per mile.

Monday, April 8, 3:30-4:30 p.m., S 124
Auditorium, Laurel Heights
Ruha Benjamin, Assistant Professor
of Sociology and African American
Studies at Boston University and fellow at
Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government,
investigates the social impact and meaning
of new biotechnologies in forensic and
medical settings. She will take you inside
California’s 2004 stem-cell initiative to
consider the lives it has affected. Questions:
megan.dowdell@ucsf.edu.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS
OFF THE GRID

Thursday, March 28, 5-9 p.m., Stanyan
and Waller, Upper Haight, SF
Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food
extravaganza that travels to different
locations daily to serve delicious food, with
a free side of amazing music, craft and soul.

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF
SCIENCES: SCIENCE OF COLOR
NIGHTLIFE

Thursday, April 4, 6-10 p.m., Cal
Academy, Golden Gate Park
Explore the perception and expression
of color in the natural world and
man-made environments. Music by
Painted Palms, presented by Noise Pop.
http://bit.ly/NightLifeTickets, http://bit.ly/
CLSDiscounts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ASUC ELECTIONS: VOTE TODAY

All dental, medical and pharmacy students
should have received the 2013-14 ASUC
Ballot and unique link in their UCSF inbox.
Take a moment to vote for the upcoming
ASUC Executive Board Members and the
Fee Referendum. If you have any questions,
please email: asucsf@ucsf.edu.

FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS AT
MISSION BAY

April 4-June 27, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 4th
Street @Nelson Rising Lane
Variety is the spice of life, and we’re serving
up all kinds of delicious adventures for your
tummy. Join the food truck lunch party at
Mission Bay and explore the tasty culinary
options to break up your routine. Each
week we feature four different vendors, so
it’ll always be something new. Grab some
friends, get some food, and take your lunch
experience up a notch.

THE PHD MOVIE SCREENING

Thursday, April 11, 5:30 p.m., Nursing,
225, Parnassus
The PhD Movie is a live-action adaptation
of the popular online web comic “Piled
Higher and Deeper (PHD)” about life
(or the lack thereof) in academia. With
comedy and heart, the film follows the
plight of two graduate students as they
try to find acceptance and balance in the
annals of academic research. You might
recognize a moment or character from
your past or current life. You certainly will
catch yourself laughing. Free food with
RSVP. sac@ucsf.edu.

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR
LEGENDS OF CHINA: SILK ROAD TO
THE FUTURE

Scholarships now available for the upcoming
China tour. UCSF dental, pharmacy and
grad students apply now. This July, travel to
China as part of a 13-year tradition between
the University of California and Legends
of China, a nonprofit Chinese foundation
dedicated to improving U.S.-Chinese ties
and working relationships. Enjoy a variety
of cultural experiences and attend the
Chinese Traditional Medical Symposium.
This all-inclusive trip is open to the UCSF
community and their families. Sponsors:
Student Academic Affairs. legendsofchina.
com. Deadlines as early as Sunday, April 7.
http://tiny.ucsf.edu/loc

Synapse Call for Arts
Submissions
Show off your creative side. Synapse
will publish TABULA, its annual arts
issue, on April 25. We invite the campus
community to submit paintings, photos,
poems and short stories. Deadline to
submit is Thursday, April 18. Send
contributions to synapse@ucsf.edu.

FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE DE YOUNG

Friday, April 5, 5-8:45 p.m., de Young
Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.,
Golden Gate Park
Friday Nights at the de Young offers a
variety of interdisciplinary arts programs,
including live music, dance performances,
film screenings, panel discussions,
lectures, artist demonstrations, special
performances and more. Programs are free
and open to the public, but does not include
admission to the museum's galleries.

BANK OF AMERICA FREE MUSEUM
WEEKEND

Saturday, April 6-Sunday, April 7, Various
locations, SF
Holders of Bank of America credit cards
and debit cards get free admission to several
Bay Area museums for one weekend each
month. http://bitly.com/BofAmuseums

Jorge Cham Screening

The PhD Movie
5:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 11
Nursing 225
Parnassus
The PhD Movie is a live-action adaptation of the
popular online webcomic "Piled Higher and
Deeper (PhD)" about life (or the lack thereof) in
academia. You might recognize a moment or
character from your past or current life. You
certainly will catch yourself laughing!
Free food with RSVP to sac@ucsf.edu!

aced with a projected deficit
of $57.4 million by the end
of the 2012-13 plan year, the
university’s student health insurance
plan (UC SHIP) will undergo structural
changes in the 2013-14 year to prevent
the plan from falling further into debt.
At a UC SHIP open forum on April
1, UC SHIP representative Shanni
Silberberg emphasized the need for

students to voice their opinions on
these changes before the April 8
Advisory Board Meeting.
Premiums paid by UCSF students
will increase by an estimated 20 percent
($553). This increase is calculated
through a banding system, where
schools in the low band such as UCSF
have a lower percent premium increase.
The premium increase for UCSF
students may be further reduced by our
lack of an undergraduate population.
Graduate plans have contributed less to

Career Options
» FROM HOME PAGE
exploration program that guides a
cohort of UCSF graduate students in
career exploration and preparation,
including planning for an internship
in a field of their choice. Trainees can
utilize online tools such as myIDP,
a website produced by the OCPD
staff, that provides career exploration
specifically for PhD-trained biomedical
scientists.
Considering their demanding
schedule, when should students and
postdocs begin career exploration?
The sooner the better, according
to OCPD Director Bill Lindstaedt.
“Students should start planning their
careers on a large-scale basis, using
tools such as myIDP, as soon as they
finish their qualifying exams,” he said.
“For postdocs, they should do it right
away (upon starting at UCSF).”
Lindstaedt suggested that graduate
programs offer career exploration as
part of the curriculum. This would
allow students to make the career
decisions earlier, and determine
whether they should do a postdoc.
In light of the campus-wide
discussion surrounding the Biomedical
Workforce reports, Lindstaedt is

pleased to see that funding is finally
being dedicated to career development
programs. In fact, the OCPD is
collaborating with other offices, such
as the School of Medicine, the Dean’s
Office and the graduate division, to
apply for a grant to pilot some new
career development programs here at
UCSF. With such plans in the works,
UCSF is poised to be at the forefront of
preparing future trainees for success in
a wide range of biomedical careers.
So, is it possible for current trainees
to prepare themselves for success in the
job market, while making sure they
remain productive scientists while at
UCSF?
“Start early in deciding what you
want to do and figuring out how you
can get there,” said Lindstaedt. “The
earlier you start, the more likely you
are to have a positive outcome, with the
least amount of upheaval in your life.”
All resources and programs
mentioned in this article, including a
calendar of seminars, can be accessed
through the OCPD website.

the deficit than undergraduate plans,
said Student Health and Counseling
Director Adele Anfinson, at the forum.
UCLA proposed a 16.5 percent
cap on increase, but this strategy
would put UC SHIP into further
debt. Students want the UC Office of
the President (UCOP) to absorb the
premium increase to blunt the impact
on students, but “there is no possibility
that [UCOP] is going to chip in,” said
student representative Silberberg. She
suggested that the banding system is
more beneficial to UCSF, as UCLA’s
proposal may require UCSF students to
absorb more of the debt at a later time.
Expect changes to benefits
Benefit changes may be in order to
reduce premium increases. However,
UCSF students in a school-wide
poll reported a strong preference
for increased premiums rather
than reduced benefits. Most benefit
reductions do not significantly reduce
premiums.
Increasing pharmacy co-pays from
$40 to 50 percent for a brand name
non-formulary drug, would only save
students $37 of 1.1 percent per year.
If other campuses insist on
changing the benefit structure, UCSF
may have to reconsider. A possible
option is increasing the deductible
from $200 to $275, which would save
students $90 or 2.7 percent on annual
premiums.
Silberberg noted that UCSF
students in particular benefit from
our affiliation with the UCSF Medical
Center; coinsurance and deductibles
are waived.
Students have also voted for
retention of dependent and voluntary
leave coverage, particularly as these
groups only contribute to 1.8% and 0.9
percent of premiums, respectively.

P

hD Comics, created in 1997 by
Jorge Cham, catalogs the lives
and times of graduate students
and postdocs in an academic laboratory
— and is loosely based on Cham’s
experiences working in a robotics PhD
program at Stanford University.
The comics range from lighthearted hilarity to dark (but often
too true) humor related to the dayto-day experiences and frustrations
of working in a lab. Most graduate
students are familiar with PhD Comics
(if you aren’t, you should flip to the last
page of Synapse, where we print the
comic weekly), but fewer have heard
of The PhD Movie, which was released
in 2011. Like the comics, the movie
follows our hapless, nameless grad
student hero as he joins a lab, starts a
project, and works his way through

school. The other comic characters also
appear in the movie: his frighteningly
serious PI, “Professor Smith,” his friend
and fellow graduate student, Cecilia,
and Mike the postdoc, among others.
Jorge Cham made the movie in
collaboration with a theater group at
the California Institute of Technology
— all of the scenes were filmed on
the Caltech campus, and most of the
actors are Caltech students (many are
even PhD students). It’s an endearing
personification of the comics, with
some truly funny moments.
Synapse, the Graduate Students’
Association, SAC and Student Health
and Counseling Services are cosponsoring a screening of The PhD
Movie on April 11 at 5:30 p.m. in
N225, Parnassus. Enjoy 90 minutes
of awesomely nerdy PhD humor with
your fellow grad students.
Alexandra Greer is a fifth-year Biomedical
Sciences student.

Upcoming deadlines
April 8: UC SHIP Advisory Board Meeting
Student and campus representatives from
all UCs write recommendation for the
executive committee.
Week of April 15: Second Advisory Board
Meeting
The Advisory Board finalizes
recommendations.
April 24: UC SHIP Executive Committee
Meeting
The Executive Committee makes
recommendations to Council of
Chancellors.
May 1: Council of Chancellors Meeting
Chancellors make the final decision for
2013-14 year.
Jenny Qi is a second-year BMS student.

Friday, April 5, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW

By Alexandra Greer
Science Editor

Separate from the issue of premium
increases is the lifting of various health
care caps. Still up for debate is the
possibility of lifting limits on Essential
Health Benefits.
These include
acupuncture, medical evacuation and
physical therapy. Currently, there is
little student feedback on the issue.
Only one student has reached the
physical therapy limit ($5,000/year) in
the past three or four years, according
to Student Health and Counseling C
Medical Director Susan Rosen. This
can occur as a result of a traumatic
accident or major surgery.
The Advisory Committee has
recommended removal of the
controversial annual pharmacy and
lifetime medical caps, according to
Silberberg at the April 1 open meeting.
The decision is not yet final, however.
The Executive Committee must make
recommendations to the Council of
Chancellors, which will make the final
decision for the 2013-14 plan year.

Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
University College London
Co-Medical Director
The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

The 26th annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium
showcases the laboratory research of residents, fellows and medical
students in the Department of Surgery. Questions? Contact the
Surgery Education Office at (415) 476-1239 or visit
www.surgery.ucsf.edu

4 | April 4, 2013 | synapse.ucsf.edu

Take the IT Security Challenge!
Go to http://awareness.ucsf.edu
EVERYONE WINS A PRIZE!

So many social networking sites...

But only one password?
Make sure your UCSF password is different.
Using a different password ensures that a breach of a social
networking site does not affect your UCSF account. Additionally,
never put confidential information on social networking websites.
Be smart â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go to security.ucsf.edu and use our free tools to protect the UCSF community.
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UCSF IT SECURITY AWARENESS

synapse.ucsf.edu | April 4, 2013 | 5

Disaster Preparedness
» FROM HOME PAGE

for SRO residents in Chinatown.
The workshop was a collaborative
effort among UCSF students of all
professional schools, bilingual high
school translators, the Chinatown
Community Development Center and
the Chinatown Public Health Center,
among others.
A SRO is usually a building
complex consisting of small, eight-byten foot rooms, in which entire families
might live with communal restrooms
and kitchens.
Residents in these cramped
conditions, with limited space for
the storage of food, water and other
necessities for survival, have historically
fared the worst after a disaster, which
inspired the need for such workshops.
During the “Duct Tape and
Garbage Bags” session, the audience
chuckled as students pulled garbage

bags over their heads to serve as
a makeshift raincoat and nodded
in understanding as the students
demonstrated how duct tape could be
used to make bandages, drinking cups
and rope in an emergency.
In “Bleach and Waste Management,”
one audience member enthusiastically
volunteered to make a 10 percent bleach
solution, for larger waste spills, and a
1 percent bleach solution for smaller
blood spills and ordinary household
cleaning. In the end, participants
received complimentary items such
as duct tape and rope to add to their
disaster-preparedness kits.
The workshop series is open for all
UCSF students to volunteer and is held
monthly, starting in winter quarter and
ending in the spring quarter.

UCSF JOURNAL CLUB
Recent research presented by UCSF students
By Jenny Qi
Staff Writer
Immunology/Caspases

HOME FOR RENT
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Fully furnished, outfitted, tastetfully decorated. In residential area w/parks & open space, easy walk to
BART, upscale grocery, restaurants, library, services, close to 280 FWY, 10 minutes to downtown SF, 15
minutes to SFO, 10 minutes to UCSF, 35 minutes to Stanford. House is uniquely full of light and open
feeling, lovely to live in, views are cozy rather than overpowering. Available July and August @$4,000
month. 2-month rental highly preferable, as owner will be out of country. Minimum rental one month
negotiable at higher price. Exact move-in/move-out dates negotiable until May. Ideal for couple, small
family, two couples. No group rentals. Contact Evelyn Kelsey at evelyn.kelsey@gmail.com, or 415-694-0588.

In a nutshell:

O

ur immune systems must distinguish between “self ” and “non-self ” in
order to protect us from foreign invaders. Innate immunity is the part
of the immune system that acts as our first line of defense. This includes
physical barriers, inflammation and phagocytic antigen-presenting cells (APCs)
that detect and eat up the invaders.
APCs have receptors that allow them to detect bacterial or viral components.
These receptors include cell-surface toll-like receptors (TLRs) and intracellular
nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, or NOD-like receptors (NLRs).
NLRs are associated with caspase-1 induced inflammatory responses. This
inflammation can lead to cell death, but caspase-1 also has a canonical protective
role in infection.
This paper unveils a non-canonical protective caspase: caspase-11. Caspase-11
enhanced bacterial clearance and animal survival. So can caspase-11 be activated
therapeutically to enhance protection during infections? It should be noted that
it, too, can have a pathological role when overwhelmed, so any therapies would
require a delicate balance.
Jenny Qi is a second-year BMS student who blogs at bmscartoons.tumblr.com.

Referendum
» FROM HOME PAGE

governments the flexibility to pursue independent goals. And yes, we even plan,
host and sponsor fantastic events like the UCSF Annual Formal.
ASUC has been committed to RCOs, which have flourished over the last
decade. We now have more than 130 RCOs, sponsoring more than 400 student
events every year. This is wonderful, as it means that students are taking advantage
of the multifaceted groups that our institution offers. However, as RCOs have
grown, the ASUC reserve has shrunk precipitously.
The $11 fee increase, from $17 to $28, ensures that RCOs can continue to be
a substantial part of our student experience on campus, ASUC can continue to
effectively represent student interests, and leaving some room for growth.
We have all been burdened by rising fees. But this is the one fee that goes
back entirely to students, the experiences we want to have, and the groups that
complete our education. Please join me, and vote for this nominal fee increase,
because our collective student experiences are worth it.
Doug Jacobs is a second-year medical student.

This bakery is owned by Peiru, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable resource
about healthy vegan and vegetarian eating. It is open during the Inner Sunset
Farmers’ Market on Ninth and Irving Streets every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sweet Aha! is a growing foodie favorite and has gained a loyal following
because of its delicious vegan muffins and desserts. All the baked goods are not
only 100 percent vegan, but also organic, free of artificial products, and contain
reduced sweetener content. Peiru creates classic and creative flavors and pays
great attention to the presentation and beauty of her products.
For breakfast, I recommend Sweet Aha!’s lemon poppy-seed and ginger spice
muffins, both farmers’ market favorites. The first time I tried the lemon poppyseed muffin, I was surprised by the taste of fresh, real lemon.
Because Peiru crafts her muffins with reduced sugar content, you can really
taste the quality of the ingredients she uses. Also, her ginger spice muffin contains
chunks of organic ginger and tastes amazing.
Sweet Aha!’s muffins are light, fluffy, full of flavor, and most importantly,
they are consistently delicious. Each Sunday, I stop by the Inner Sunset Farmers’
Market after my run to gather groceries and see what Peiru has in store.
Arizmendi

y restaurant connoisseur brother and experienced “foodie” friends all
assured me that eating vegan in San Francisco would be easy and that
restaurants are used to customers with dietary restrictions. “There’s
always something vegan on the menu, Geraldine,” they said. “Come have brunch!”
they said.
Based on my experiences so far, it’s difficult to find a decent vegan breakfast or
brunch in The City. No matter how much I love oatmeal, I’d rather not pay $6-plus
for a bowl of “decadent Irish oatmeal topped with house-made organic granola,”
when I can buy 10 pounds of old-fashioned Quaker Oats from Costco for $9. I’m
not cheap; I just want to spend my loan money on something special.
Honestly, it’s just sad when you bring a spoonful of mushy oats to your mouth
when your friends are joyously savoring their French toast with caramelized
bananas, or their beautifully poached eggs Benedict. When you say that your
oatmeal is great, no one is convinced. So, for vegan readers, readers with vegan
significant others, or for the vegan-curious, here are my top morning meals in the
Sunset.

Synapse is the UCSF student-run weekly newspaper, which runs on Thursdays during
the academic year and monthly during the summer. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for
the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not
necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.

Submissions

Announcements and letters should be submitted six days before publication. All
submissions can be either emailed or mailed. All material is subject to editing. Letters to
the Editor must be signed by the author.

Subscriptions
Subscriptions cost $20/year ($40/outside US).

Advertising

Paid advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Synapse. Synapse and its editorial
board reserve the right to decline advertisements promoting false or misleading claims,
known health risks, or content deemed by the editors to be antithetical to the interests of
UCSF students or the UCSF community. Synapse does not accept advertisements from
tobacco or alcohol manufacturers, or sexually oriented personal ads. Synapse reserves the
right to run any ad with a disclaimer.

This co-op and beloved neighborhood bakery has great specialty items for a
decent price. Its vegan muffins are commendable and come in banana walnut and
lemon poppy-seed flavors.
The banana walnut muffin is one of the best muffins I’ve ever had. The top
is baked to a slight crisp, while the bottom stays soft and full of walnuts. I’m
currently obsessed and will continue to eat this muffin for breakfast until I’m sick
of it, or my jeans get too tight … whichever comes first.
The lemon poppyseed muffin is inferior to Sweet Aha!’s version because of
the lack of real lemon zest. These muffins are dense, hearty and could easy pack
enough calories for a moderate breakfast. Also, their sourdough English muffins,
for only 75 cents, are wonderful, because they are lightly toasted on the outside,
while the inside texture stays soft with a bit of chewiness.
Beanery

1307 Ninth St., San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 661-1255

You know what’s hard? Finding a coffee shop that doesn’t charge extra for
soy milk. Peet’s, Starbucks and Palio Caffé all charge a significant fee for soy or
almond milk on top of an already over-priced drink. However, Beanery on Ninth
Avenue serves organic coffee and allows you to pour your own soy milk.
Arizmendi also serves soy milk free of charge, but uses a very sweet variety,
whereas Beanery provides Soy Blenders vanilla, which is low in calories and fat
and doesn’t add too much sugar.
Outerlands

54 Soon
8 Draw in
57 One way to
9 Like a church
run?
mouse
58 Discontented
10 Pal of Tarzan
look
11 Billy Burke sci-fi
59 Enthusiasm
series
60 A or B, on a 45 12 Words to live by
61 Rigatoni relative 13 Start of a
Kramden laugh
62 Rip apart
63 Think,
old-style
19
the picture
Week of 4/1/13Get
- 4/7/13
21 Major pipeline
DOWN
25 Bronze finish?
1 Wise one
26 Popular pie nut
2 Soon, to a bard 27 Off one's rocker
3 Knock it off
28 Spicy stew
4 Maverick's game 29 Throwing a fit
5 Auto club
31 Stand for
service
34-across
6 Pithy saying
33 Fight off
7 Kind of blouse
34 Off the leash

35
36
38
40
42
44
45
46
47
49
51
52
53
55
56

Well aware of
Swamp stalk
Carriage driver
Good for
growing, as soil
Unlawful
opportunist
Fresh, as
lettuce
Prevention
amount?
Instant lawn
Brewer's supply
Tree trunk
Bahrain big shot
Bygone bird
Distort, in a way
Part of MYOB
Football position

ot a long incubation time to
kill? Waiting for your cells
to spin? Bored in-between
classes? In class? This week, we have
another game: Phylo (found at phylo.
cs.mcgill.ca), and like FoldIt, it’s both
addicting and educational.
Back in the old days, phylogenetic
trees that depict the interrelatedness
of different organisms were organized
mainly based on physical features,
shared habitat and other observable
traits.
Now, with the advent of
inexpensive genetic technology, we
can also compare genetic sequences
of genes between species and compare
their relatedness on the basis of their
DNA.
When comparing gene sequences,
aligning the DNA can be a tricky
business and is computationally
difficult — but Phylo uses the natural
pattern-seeking capability of our brains
to generate sequence alignments that
computers may miss.

Try it out by shifting around the
locations of colored DNA bases on the
grid and align genes from two to nine
different species.
In just one sitting, I learned the
basics and went from beginner to expert
alignments, so it’s quite intuitive. And,
as in the past, this one’s a great time
waster for those worried about being
caught doing something other than
reading papers — you’re basically just
BLASTing someone else’s data, right?
Check next week for another
grad-student approved distraction —
suggestions are welcome!
Alexandra Greer is a fifth-year graduate
student in the Biomedical Sciences and
promises her PI that she doesn’t waste that
much time when she is in the lab.

Vegan Breakfast
» FROM PAGE 6

10 a.m.
Here, I was able to eat an entirely
vegan meal with no substitutions. My
meal consisted of a refreshing avocado
and winter citrus salad, hot ginger
lemon apple cider and organic loose
tea.
It also serves levain toast with
Meyer lemon marmalade. The bread
is supposed to be very satisfying, but I
haven’t had the chance to try it yet.
The salad consisted of sharp
mustard greens, three varieties of
grapefruit, ample avocado and toasted
almonds, tossed in light sherry vinegar.
Outerlands pairs unexpected
flavors, and the results are delicious.
Other than alcohol, these are the only
vegan items on the menu. This place is
madly popular, so come early or expect
to wait.
Outerlands
does
not
take
reservations, but puts out a waiting
list one hour before opening. Come
early to sign up, and have some coffee
at Trouble Coffee Company, another
trendy morning stop. However, don’t
come close to closing time, because
they will be full and will not seat
additional customers.
The best thing about Outerlands is
the atmosphere. Inside, you are housed
in a warm, slow-paced, wooden cavern
and protected from the growing crowd
and hungry customers barricading the
entrance.
So next time you have a breakfast
or brunch date, take your companions
to the Farmers’ Market to try Sweet
Aha! Bake Shop, or visit Arizmendi’s
Bakery, Beanery or Outerlands. Please
share your favorite vegan breakfast or
brunch locations with us.
Geraldine Tran is a first-year medical
student.